352 SOIL PROTOZOA IN SOUTH AFKICA. 



Bloenifontein. It was a red sandy loam, with a very feebly acid 

 reaction to litmus. A culture was made in the proportion of 5 

 grams of soil to 10 c.c. of boiled sterile water. No Protozoa were 

 observed on direct examination. 



Water cultures yielded the following Protozoa: — 



Rhizopoda. — Amceha proteus, A. ln)i((,T, A. iiuiluhi, 



Diffingia glohiilosa, Eughjpha sp. 

 Heliozoa. — Actinoph rys sol . 

 Mastigophora. — Peranema tricJiopJinrnut , OI]i())iion((s fcrino^ 



Bodo (P.) parva, Entosiplion sulcatum. 

 Infusoria. — Cyclidium glaucoma, Paramoeciu))i aurclia. 

 The number of kinds of Protozoa in this soil was relatively 

 large, but the total number of individual Protozoa was small. 

 The culture was slow in developing, and during the first 24 days, 

 on three days only were Protozoa observed. Bodo (Proiixtzelcia} 

 parva. was seen on two days and Oikomonas tcDno on one day. 

 No Protozoa were found in the samples of the culture examined 

 on 38 days out of 51 days, and two continuous periods of seven 

 da^'s and one of eight days were entirely negative. 



(ii) Cultivated soil from the Botanic Gardens, Grey 

 University College. This sample was collected in bright sun- 

 shine. No rain had fallen for some time, but the gai'den had 

 been watered. The soil was an ironstone gravel, and its reaction 

 to litmus was very feebly acid. 



A culture in proportion of 5 grams of soil in 10 c.c. boiled 

 sterile water yielded the following Protozoa: — 



Rhizopoda. — A)iiceha proteiis, A. Umax, E ugly pit a sp. 

 Mastigophora. — Peranemci trichopJiorum, Oikomonas fermo, 



Bodo (P.) parva, Euglena oxyuris, Plcuromo)iaK 



jaculans. 

 Infusoria. — Aniphileptus cijgu us. 



As in the case of the uncultivated grass veld from Bloem- 

 fontein, the total number of organisms was small, and there were 

 long negative periods in the culture. On 43 days out of 51 no 

 Protozoa were detected. 



Portuguese East African Soils. 



For purposes of comparison, three samples of soil were 

 obtained from the district of LourenQo Marques, Portuguese East 

 Africa. 



Observatory Garden, Lourengo Maraues. — The samiile was 

 collected on July 14, during fine weatlu'r, from a bed of beans 

 that had been recently watered. Goat dung was scattered over 

 the bed as fertiliser. A mixed sample of surface to soil six inches 

 deep was taken. It was sandy, bright reddish bT'own soil, witli 

 a very feebly acid reaction to litmus. 



A culture was made in the proportion of 5 grams of soil to 

 10 c.c. of boiled sterile water. No motile Protozoa were observed 

 when the culture was examined as soon as made, but the culture 



